Yumi’s Odd Odyssey Not Swimming To North American Shores

At E3 2008 Natsume announced they were publishing a localized version of Umihara Kawase Portable under the name Yumi’s Odd Odyssey. In the game you control Yumi, a girl equipped with an elastic fishing line used for Bionic Commando style swinging.

The PSP game wasn’t on Natsume’s 2009 release schedule so asked what happened to it. “Umihara has gone somewhere,” Hiro Maekawa, President of Natsume said with a smile. “That one has been put on permanent hold,” Graham Markay, Vice President of Operations, explained. “Have I given up on it? No, but unfortunately I don’t think the PSP game going to make it to North American shores.”

If Natsume released Yumi’s Odd Odyssey it would have been the first game from the Umihara Kawase series to get an international release. Marvelous also plans on releasing a Nintendo DS version of Umihara Kawase in Japan. The game was delayed from its original release date, but still planned for Japan. Will Natsume bring it to North America? “To be quite honest, I haven’t seen the DS game. It hasn’t come through the office on our side,” Markay said.

Should Natsume give the DS game a look or should Yumi’s psychedelic world and giant fish stay in Japan?